Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Using Habit Reversal To Decrease Filled Pauses And Nervous Habits In Public Speaking, Carolyn Joanne Mancuso

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

ABSTRACT

Public speaking is a challenge faced by people from all walks of life. Research in the area of public speaking has focused on examining techniques to reduce public speaking anxiety. Very little research, however, has focused on the acquisition of public speaking skills. While presenting speeches, many people engage in nervous habits that have the potential to decrease the effectiveness of the speech and their credibility as a speaker. This study evaluated the effectiveness of simplified habit reversal in reducing three of these nervous habits: filled pauses, tongue clicking, and inappropriate use of the word like. Following baseline, participants …

Evolution And Functional Morphology Of The Cephalic Lobes In Batoids, Samantha Lynn Mulvany

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Cephalic lobes are unique structures derived from the anterior pectoral fins, found in select myliobatid stingrays. Many benthic batoids utilize undulatory locomotion and use their pectoral fins for both locomotion and prey capture. Pelagic myliobatids that possess cephalic lobes utilize oscillatory locomotion, using their pectoral fins to locomote and their cephalic lobes for prey capture. Despite differences in habitat usage and locomotor modes, these batoids feed on very similar benthic organisms. The purpose of this study was to 1.) compare the morphology of the cephalic lobes and anterior pectoral fins in lobed and lobeless species, looking at skeletal elements, musculature …

An Exploration Of Threatened Harm As A Type Of Maltreatment And Its Relation To Recurrence Of Maltreatment, Roxann Mcneish

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

There were no studies found in the literature that primarily focused on threatened harm as type of maltreatment. This study utilized Florida's child welfare administrative data to explore threatened harm as a type of maltreatment, particularly as a predictor of recurrence of maltreatment within six and 12 months for children who had a verified report of maltreatment in FY2005-2006. Threatened harm was examined in three ways; when it was reported as the only maltreatment, the initial maltreatment, and in situations where there was a prior report. The most prevalent acts of threatened harm were examined separately. It was examined as …

Contrast Adaptation In The Lateral Eye Of Limulus Polyphemus, Tchoudomira Valtcheva

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Luminance and contrast adaptation are neuronal mechanisms that the retina applies for continuous adjustment to light sensitivity though a collection of cellular and synaptic mechanisms distributed across the retinal network, thus accommodating the wide input range of the visual system within the constricted output range of retinal ganglion cells. Luminance mean adaptation has been demonstrated in the output neurons of the invertebrate eye (eccentric cells), and the aim of the study was to investigate whether the homology in visual processing extends to luminance variance (contrast) adaptation as well. The spike trains of individual eccentric cells were recorded from live horseshoe …

Factors Influencing Vaccination Decisions In African American Mothers Of Preschool Age Children, Chauntel Mckenzie Mcnair

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Rates and coverage levels of immunizations of African-American children are reduced compared to other races. Few studies have identified factors that influence vaccination decisions of African-American mothers. This study assessed the mothers' vaccination decisions using a self-administered questionnaire and a screening instrument for determining health literacy. This instrument is called Rapid Estimate of Adult Literacy in Medicine (REALM). The sample was 92 African American mothers, recruited from a large metropolitan church in Jacksonville, Florida, who had at least one child under the age of seven. A cross-sectional research design was used to administer survey instruments to identify and interpret parental …

Evaluating The Effectiveness Of A Tablet Application To Increase Eye Contact In Children Diagnosed With Autism, Tricia Jeffries

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Studies have shown that increasing eye contact can be accomplished by using reinforcement, prompting, shaping, functional movement training, punishment, and self-monitoring. However, there is a lack of research that evaluates the use of technology as a way to increase eye contact. This study tested the effectiveness of a tablet application at increasing eye contact in children diagnosed with autism. The application requires the child to look at a picture of a person's face and identify the number displayed in the person's eyes in order to receive reinforcement. Data was collected immediately after training, one hour after training, and in the …

Nonword Processing In Bilingual Five Year Olds: Do Phonotactics Count?, Kyna Betancourt

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Phonotactic processing is foundational to the word processing task in both monolingual and bilingual children (Li & Farkas, 2002; Pierrehumbert, 2001; Shook & Marian, 2013; Storkel & Morrisette, 2002). While the use of phonotactic information in word processing in monolingual children is relatively well documented, it is less well understood in bilingual children. The purpose of this study was to investigate how bilingual kindergartners process the phonotactic probabilities of their two languages. A set of nonwords was developed that manipulated the strength of phonotactic probability across both Spanish and English while also controlling the language environment of the experimental task …

Evaluating The Effectiveness Of An Internet-Based Behavioral Program For Increasing Physical Activity With And Without A Behavioral Coach, Diego Alejandro Valbuena

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Obesity is a problem of vast social concern in the United States. One factor that has been linked to reduction in body fat and the health problems associated with obesity is increasing physical activity. Although in-person behavioral interventions have been shown effective at increasing physical activity, attention is now being placed on disseminating these interventions through the use of technology. Several internet-based interventions have been developed and are readily available. The purpose of this study was to evaluate "Fitbit," a web-based behavioral intervention for increasing physical activity and losing weight. Additionally, this study examined if the addition of contact from …

Exploring The Relationship Between Physical Activity And Everyday Cognitive Function In Older Adults: Within- And Between- Person Variability, Christine Haley

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Research suggests that physical activity may play a role in preserving cognitive function in older adulthood. However, the exact nature, direction, and magnitude of observed associations remain unclear. The current study utilized a microlongitudinal design to repeatedly assess cognitive function and physical activity across five days. Two studies examined relationships between physical activity, physical fitness, and cognitive function among community-dwelling older adults. The first study examined associations between baseline performance in a measure of everyday cognition and multiple measures of physical activity and physical fitness. Bivariate analyses revealed that objectively measured physical activity of moderate-to-vigorous intensity, repeated chair stand time …

The Use Of Video Modeling Plus Video Feedback To Improve Boxing Skills, Charlsey Elizabeth Reynolds

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Video modeling and video feedback are behavioral procedures that have been shown to increase skill acquisition over time in a variety of environments. This study investigated the use of a video modeling and video feedback procedure, via a multiple baseline design to enhance skill acquisition in boxing. This study also incorporated multiple dimensions of analysis by including data based not only on a percentage of performance with a task analysis, but also the duration of each particular target behavior. The target behaviors for the study included three different boxing combinations, which were operationally defined based on component steps via …

Exploring Potential Risk Factors Of Fetal Origins Of Diabetes: Maternal Stressors During Pregnancy And Birth Outcomes Among Women In A Hospital In The Municipality Of Caguas, Puerto Rico, Juan Pablo Arroyo

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Puerto Rico has the highest prevalence of type 2 diabetes, low birth-weight, and the second highest prevalence of preterm-birth in all the U.S. and its non-incorporated territories. These conditions are related. Birth-weight at both ends of the spectrum and preterm-birth are associated with an increased risk for developing type 2 diabetes and immune-inflammatory dysregulations. Maternal psychosocial stressors during pregnancy have also been recognized as potential risk factors for type 2 diabetes, and have been consistently associated with preterm-birth and low birth-weight across populations. Current evidence points toward epigenetic fetal metabolic-programming as the mechanism that underlies the increased risk for the …

African Americans And Hospice: A Culture-Centered Exploration Of Disparities In End-Of-Life Care, Patrick Dillon

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

As the United States' population ages and grows more diverse, scholars and practitioners have grown increasingly concerned about persistent disparities in the cost and quality of end-of-life health care, particularly with regard to African Americans. Although a variety of factors may influence these disparities, most scholars agree that the underutilization of hospice care by this population is an important contributor. Drawing from the culture-centered approach to health communication and narrative theory, the present study explores African American patients and caregivers' experiences with hospice care and takes an initial step toward addressing disparities in end-of-life care. I begin this study, first, …

The Professionalization And Practice Of Lactation Consulting: Medicalized Knowledge, Humanistic Care, Aimee R. Eden

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Breastfeeding support for mothers and their babies historically was the informal work of family and community members. In the United States today, breastfeeding support is embedded in the biomedical system, and is provided by a new allied health professional: the International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC). This dissertation explores this professionalization of breastfeeding support and the origins of this new profession. It studies how IBCLCs working in the U.S. cultural context perceive and practice the profession and examines the relationship between the profession of lactation consulting and the medicalization of breastfeeding. Oral history interviews with 17 founders of the profession, …

Supply Chain Optimization Of Blood Products, Serkan Gunpinar

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Major challenges in the management of blood supply chain are related to the shortage and wastage of the blood products. Given the perishability characteristics of blood which can be stored up to a limited number of days, if hospitals and blood centers keep an excessive number of blood units on inventory, wastages may occur. On the other hand, if sufficient number of blood units are not stored on inventory, shortages of this resource may cause the cancellations of important activities and increase the fatality rates at hospitals. Three mathematical models have been developed with the goal to improve the efficiency …

Classification Models In Clinical Decision Making, Eleazar Gil-Herrera

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In this dissertation, we present a collection of manuscripts describing the development of prognostic models designed to assist clinical decision making. This work is motivated by limitations of commonly used techniques to produce accessible prognostic models with easily interpretable and clinically credible results. Such limitations hinder prognostic model widespread utilization in medical practice.

Our methodology is based on Rough Set Theory (RST) as a mathematical tool for clinical data anal- ysis. We focus on developing rule-based prognostic models for end-of life care decision making in an effort to improve the hospice referral process. The development of the prognostic models is …

An Evaluation Of A Parent Implemented In- Situ Pedestrian Safety Skills Intervention For Individuals With Autism, Bethany Ann Harriage

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study evaluated a parent implemented in-situ pedestrian safety skills intervention for three individuals with autism. Specifically, this study examined the utility of using a behavioral skills training (BST) to help parents implement the most-to-least prompting procedures in training their children with autism pedestrian safety skills in community settings. A multiple baseline design across participants was used to assess parent implementation of in-situ pedestrian training as well as child participants' independently performed correct skills. Results indicated that parents implemented most-to-least prompting procedures with high levels of accuracy across streets during intervention and fading of BST. All child participants improved their …

An Evaluation Of Self Management To Increase On Task Behavior With Individuals Diagnosed With Attention-Deficit/Hyperactive Disorder, Lindsey C. Slattery

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the leading diagnoses for children. Children diagnosed with ADHD often have difficulty in many settings including at school as well as in the home. Medication is often a common treatment for these children, however, it has been often shown ineffective when used alone. A review of behavioral interventions, including various self-regulation interventions has been studied. Self-regulation interventions have been shown to be effective for children diagnosed with ADHD primarily in school or academic settings. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of a self-management intervention on the on-task behavior of children …

The Acquisition And Usage Of The Sodas Problem Solving Method Among Adults At-Risk For Homelessness, Collin Edward Streetman

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Individuals experiencing extended homelessness face multifaceted risks in physical health, nutrition, substance use, mental health, continuing unemployment, and incarceration. Some of these adults may benefit from learning a problem-solving decision-making method to assist them in dealing with everyday problems they encounter. This study taught three men with extensive histories of homelessness, but who were currently housed, the SODAS problem-solving decision-making method, and assessed their ability to learn it and guide another adult in the use of the method in simulated role-play problem situations. The acquisition of SODAS from behavioral rehearsal training was evaluated using a multiple-baseline design across participants' role …

A Comparison Of A Matrix Programming And Standard Discrete Trial Training Format To Teach Two-Component Tacts, Emily Braff

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Teaching using matrix programming has been shown to result in recombinative generalization. However, this procedure has not been compared to more standard discrete trial training formats such as DTT. This study compared acquisition and recombinative generalization of two-component tacts using each procedure. Matrix training was found to be more efficient than the DTT format. Half the amount of teaching was required to teach roughly the same number of targets using matrix training as compared to DTT.

Survivorship, Infertility And Parenthood: Experiencing Life After Cancer In Puerto Rico, Karen Elizabeth Dyer

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

While incidence rates are increasing for many cancers in Puerto Rico, mortality rates are declining (Torres-Cintron, et al. 2010), resulting in growing numbers of survivors and creating a situation in which long-term survivorship concerns are beginning to emerge as priorities. The importance of quality-of-life among survivors of cancer is increasingly being recognized among healthcare providers, although there remains a gap in knowledge of how young adult survivors cope with long-term treatment-related physical effects, such as infertility, and of the impact of cancer on survivors' social relationships and future goals.

Because understandings of "cancer survivorship," as well as of reproduction, vary …

An Evaluation Of Check-In/Check-Out With Accountability Tracking For At-Risk Students In A High-Need Elementary School, Ashley Lauren Barber

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

A multi-tiered system of supports offers a comprehensive model for the prevention of academic and behavior problems in schools. To date, research has emphasized the impact of universal and intensive interventions. However, the need for research on secondary or targeted group interventions (Tier 2) for those students who do not respond to the universal level of support is growing. This study evaluated CICO, a Tier 2 intervention, in improving student behavior when it is used with three elementary students from a high-need population and in conjunction with student accountability tracking, designed to promote parental involvement. Functional assessments indicated that all …

Does The Use Of Personally Relevant Stimuli In Semantic Complexity Training Facilitate Improved Functional Communication Performance Compared To Non-Personally Relevant Stimulus Items Among Adults With Chronic Aphasia?, Stephanie Karidas

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated the influence of semantic complexity treatment in individuals with fluent aphasia on discourse performance. Semantic treatment is an effective way to improve semantically based word retrieval problems in aphasia. Treatment focused on the semantic application of the Complexity Account of Treatment Efficacy (CATE) (Thompson, Shapiro, Kiran, & Sobecks, 2003) promotes training of complex items resulting in generalization to less complex, untrained items. In addition, research has shown that the personal relevance of treatment material can increase treatment efficacy. This study investigated the effect of semantic treatment of atypical personally relevant items among individuals with aphasia on discourse …

Utilizing Tagteach To Enhance Proficiency In Dance Movements, Mallory Joanne Quinn

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to evaluate TAGteach as a training procedure to increase the fluency of three dance movements in a multiple baseline across behaviors design with 4 students of dance. Target behaviors included a pirouette/turn, kick, and a leap/jump, respective of the level of the class. A dance instructor was trained to implement the TAGteach procedure by the primary researcher. The targeted dance movements remained at a stable level during baseline and improved sequentially for each participant following the introduction of the TAGteach training. Implications for future research are discussed.

The Effects Of The A Matter Of Balance Program On Falls, Physical Risks Of Falls, And Psychological Consequences Of Falling Among Older Adults, Tuo Yu Chen

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The effectiveness of the A Matter of Balance (MOB) program, a multifactorial falls prevention intervention, is uncertain. Although targeting multiple risk factors of falling at the same time seems reasonable and desirable, in that falls are often caused by several risk factors, results from previous studies investigating the effects of multifactorial falls prevention interventions are inconsistent. In addition, research shows that single factor interventions (e.g., exercise) can produce the same effects. The cost-effectiveness of multifactorial falls prevention interventions has varied across studies (e.g., Jenkyn, Hoch, & Speechley, 2012; Tinetti, Baker, et al., 1994). Despite the fact that the American Geriatrics …

An Evaluation On The Effects Of Check-In/Check-Out With School-Aged Children Residing In A Mental Health Treatment Facility, Crystal Ann Stuart

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

School-Wide Positive Behavior Interventions and Support (SWPBIS) is an evidence- based application of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) to address and prevent problem behaviors from occurring, promote pro-social behaviors, and create a positive learning environment for all students. There are many secondary interventions that have been utilized within the framework of SWPBIS that have high success rates. However, the research conducted on the use of Check-In/Check-Out (CICO), a secondary intervention, has focused its attention more on its effectiveness in public elementary schools. There is a lack of research evaluating the effectiveness of CICO in alternative school settings. This study provides an …

Age Dependent Analysis And Modeling Of Prostate Cancer Data, Nana Osei Mensa Bonsu

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Growth rate of prostate cancer tumor is an important aspect of understanding the natural history of prostate cancer. Using real prostate cancer data from the SEER database with tumor size as a response variable, we have clustered the cancerous tumor sizes into age groups to enhance its analytical behavior. The rate of change of the response variable as a function of age is given for each cluster. Residual analysis attests to the quality of the analytical model and the subject estimates. In addition, we have identified the probability distribution that characterize the behavior of the response variable and proceeded with …

An Evaluation Of Staff Reactivity Following Performance Feedback And Self-Monitoring Procedures In A Group Home Setting, Samantha Lynn Fuesy

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Research has investigated staff management procedures that produce treatment adherence and maintenance over time. Treatment integrity is one of the most important aspects of staff management; without adequate treatment adherence, behavior analysts are unable to determine whether treatment is effective, function has been identified, or intervention revisions are needed. The literature on staff management procedures has demonstrated that performance feedback and self-monitoring are effective procedures for increasing treatment integrity of behavior plans in the presence of the observer, however, few studies have evaluated the effectiveness of these procedures when the observer is absent. This study evaluated the effectiveness of performance …

An Evaluation Of The Family-Centered Prevent-Teach-Reinforce Model With Families Of Young Children With Developmental Disabilities, Kathleen Bailey

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Daily routines in the home are typically the most common interactions for children with their siblings and parents. When a child exhibits challenging behavior in these routines, it can cause a strain on the family as well as the child's ability to learn a more appropriate behavior. This study examined the feasibility and potential efficacy of an adapted version of the Prevent-Teach- Reinforce (PTR) intervention with three families of young children with developmental disabilities. The school-based PTR manual was adapted for treatment use in a family context. The study assessed the family adherence to the collaboratively developed PTR intervention, family …

The Effects Of Video Self-Evaluation On Skill Acquisition With Yoga Postures, Holly Elizabeth Downs

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study evaluated the use of video self-evaluation and video feedback procedures to enhance the accuracy of yoga poses. In the self-evaluation intervention participants watched their behaviors via video and scored task analyses for feedback for each pose. In the video feedback intervention, the participants and the researcher together scored the task analyses for the behaviors along with practice during video recordings. The interventions were assessed in a multiple baseline across behaviors design. Results showed that both video self-evaluation increased the accuracy of all poses and video feedback further increased the accuracy on one pose for one participant

Interrogation Of Epor Fidelity In Myelodysplastic Syndrome Hematopoiesis And Stabilization By The Immunomodulatory Agent, Lenalidomide, Kathy Lynn Mcgraw

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) include a spectrum of stem cell malignancies characterized by ineffective hematopoiesis and predisposition to acute myeloid leukemia (AML) transformation. Patients are predominantly older (greater than 60 years old), with progressive cytopenias resulting from ineffective and cytologically dysplastic hematopoiesis. MDS subtypes are classified by morphologic features and bone marrow blast percentage, as well as cytogenetic pattern, as is the case for deletion 5q MDS. Interstitial deletion of the long arm of chromosome 5, del(5q), is the most common chromosomal abnormality in patients with MDS, and the 5q- syndrome, represents a distinct subset of del(5q) MDS characterized by an …